Different
by shiiverse
Summary: Haruka could always hear two voices in his head. He never told anyone, though. In fact, he doesn't plan to do so, and he definitely won't tell Takane. But, when she's forced to live with him, its inevitable that she will find out about Haruka's 'secret'. HaruTaka
1. flattering

**Hello! Welcome! I plan to write this and finish it in four/five chapters. Anyways, enjoy! :)**

**P.S Eh, both Takane and Haruka do not have fathers. (...Please bear with me for this unexplained plot hole. _ )**

* * *

_flatter_

Haruka Kokonose wasn't normal.

No, he was definitely not a vampire, or anything supernatural, neither did he have any special abilities. He was, infact, different in terms of one's health.

Again, Haruka could run, jog, walk or jump perfectly. Heck, he could even try to do a split if he wanted to. (Though, he wasn't sure if he was _that_ flexible.)

What made Haruka different was… Well, to begin with, Haruka had always heard two voices in his head. One was soft and calming.

Innocent.

The other voice? It sounded like the first voice, just more rough. The second voice definitely was something that Haruka would not dub as 'innocent', seeing as it would mercilessly taunt him and laugh at his failures.

…In other words, the two voices were something like the 'Angel' and 'Demon' situation in fictional shows.

At first, Haruka tried to ignore the two voices; he told himself that he just had an over-active imagination. But the darker voice had simply snorted, while the other voice stayed quiet.

**_[You really think we're just your imagination?]_**

_'Y-Yes!'_

**_[Fool.]_**

Though, Haruka never told anyone. He didn't want to trouble others, burden them with his own problems.

As he grew older, the two voices remained. They didn't really cause any trouble for Haruka, they were just.. There. Then, he blacked out one day.

When he woke up, he found himself in a different position. He was, strangely enough, eating.

[**_Idiot. You got to take control and that's all you do?]_**

[_I just wanted to eat.]_

'_Take control…?'_

**_[Look who's back.]_**

**'**_What are you talking about?'_

_ [__**Oh, we were just talking about taking control of you. Nothing to worry about.] **_ The gleefulness that was in the voice's tone was obvious.

'_W-What!?'_

The voice chuckled.

[**_I told you, there's nothing to worry about.]_**

[_Har-]_

_[_**Oh, shut the hell up.]**

_Silence._

This was the first time that something strange like that ever happened. Haruka was obviously worried by how the voices (more like one voice) had spoken about 'taking control', but 'taking control' didn't happen anymore. Until Haruka was 16.

It was swift. When Haruka regained consciousness, he found himself gripping a kitchen knife, when moments before he was only sketching in his notebook. The voice taunted him again, telling him how it would be so easy to kill his loved ones, how easy it would be to just end his own life with his body movements which weren't his to control.

Haruka was scared. He was terrified that one day, he would wake up to a bloody mess, but it never happened. Either the voice was only bidding its time until it did kill someone, or maybe it just wanted to see Haruka stressed and frightened.

Nonetheless, life continued on.

Somehow, as the years passed, Haruka managed to get the two voices to be his 'friends'. The 'devil' voice wasn't as hostile as before, and less insults directed at Haruka were made, while the other voice talked more. The gentle voice somewhat reminded Haruka of himself, though the voice seemed to be more air-headed at times. He found the voice's curiosity cute, though, and he would always try his best to answer its questions.

This didn't mean that the black-outs stopped, though. The black-outs weren't common, they only happened occasionally. It was a good thing that the darker voice was rarely in control.

Haruka had no idea how he had gotten used to the idea of being 'knocked out' and having his body taken over by one of the voices.

* * *

Haruka knew that he would be locked up in an asylum if anyone found out about him conversing with two voices in his head. With the black-outs, it was pretty miraculous that no one noticed. Even his own mother. His mother wasn't a bad person, she was a kind, gentle person who was friends with Takane's mother. (They were once co-workers) Takane was also, coincidentally, Haruka's friend. It was just pure luck that his mother didn't notice.

He hid his so-called 'illness' from his family and friends, and so far, no black-outs occurred whenever they were around him. He knew that his luck would run out soon, but for now, he chose to focus on the present and continue to keep a smile spread across his face.

* * *

Another thing was, Haruka thought that the two voices had no names. At least, he had never dared to ask them. They were just voices after all – which was what he thought before the first black-out happened. Surprisingly, asking the two for their names was easier than Haruka thought it would be.

**_[Our names..?]_**

It was quiet for a few moments, before the gentle voice spoke.

[_I'm Konoha.]_

[**_Kuroha.]_**

Honestly, Haruka never expected the two voices to have names.

He was curious, and seeing as the two voices had names and a mind of their own, could they have their own bodies, too? The answer was, yes. Indeed, the two voices, Konoha and Kuroha, had their own respective bodies. Haruka had picked up his pencil and started to draw, following the voice's descriptions. To his amazement, his drawing turned out well (although he was only following the barest of descriptions given by Konoha and Kuroha) and he could actually visualize how the two voices looked like.

* * *

When Haruka's mother (along with Takane's) had to go overseas to settle some matters for a few weeks, both moms had somehow decided that it was a good idea to have Haruka and Takane live together for the duration in which they were gone.

So when Haruka opened the door and was met with the sight of a very flustered Takane standing there, holding a luggage, he was bewildered. His mom had never told him that Takane would be living with him, after all.

"…J-Just let me in.."

And Haruka unlocked the door.


	2. affinity

**Oh gosh, thanks for all of the support so far. 3 (Not sure if I can keep up to you lovely people's standards...)**

**Here's the next chapter! (The next chapter will be much more interesting, with stuff happening. For now, it's just... Eh, I don't wanna spoil anything.)**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

_affinity_

"Huh? Your Mom didn't tell you?"

Takane had quietly walked (rushed) into Haruka's house, and stood awkwardly in the living room. She wasn't thrilled at the fact that she had to be the one to explain to Haruka why she was in his house. More importantly, she was not amused that if word ever got out to Ayano that she and Haruka were living together, without a doubt, Ayano would (lightly) tease her about it, and that was something Takane wanted to avoid.

"She only told me that she was going out of the country for a few weeks… I didn't know that you were going to live here." Haruka's face then brightened as a thought popped into his head. "But I don't mind! Having you here really makes me happy! I wonder if we could somehow get Ayano and Shintaro to also live here, too…" He trailed off, looking at Takane with a curious expression.

_Oh god, Haruka stop that.. "_W-What are you talking about? No way is Ayano and Shintaro going to stay here, and I honestly doubt that the NEET would even agree to staying with us." Takane huffed, a light blush tinting her cheeks. Really, what was Haruka thinking? Still, as Takane continued to look at Haruka, she could feel her blush deepening. _I thought I was over this..!_

Said male was smiling from ear to ear, though, oblivious to the blush that was gradually forming on Takane's face.

**_[Interesting.]_**

'_Kuroha..?'_

**_[…Nothing.]_**

Haruka left it at that. The dark-haired male confused him sometimes. If he wasn't mocking Haruka, or sadistically laughing at him, then he would be muttering one-worded phrases. …Though, that was only the short summary of what Kuroha usually did.

[_Haruka… Where is Takane going to stay..?] _Konoha. Haruka was relieved that he had decided to speak.

'_There's an extra empty room, Konoha. Takane would prefer to stay there than the living room, don't you think?'_

"So… Uh, where will I stay? I don't suppose you have an empty room for me or anything? I mean, you didn't even know that I was going to come over."

"There's an empty room, so I think that's where you will be staying. Follow me, Takane!"

"R-Right." Leading her to the room, which was right next to his, Haruka opened the door. The room was… Furnished, to say the least. A drawer was beside a small bed that was in the middle of the room. Right next to the drawer was a large brown closet. There was also a mirror that hung on the wall, along with a desk (which had a chair right infront of it) that was right next to said mirror. Takane walked in, and sat down on the bed. She placed her luggage near the foot of the bed as she looked around, observing her new room. "A-Ah, I will leave you here for a bit, Takane. I will be out in the living room!" Haruka chirped, walking out and closing the door.

He sighed.

He was glad to have Takane as his 'roommate', but with Konoha and Kuroha, he was afraid that his friendship with her would soon promptly come to an end. Shaking his head, Haruka forced himself to smile.

No, he wasn't going to keep thinking about _that_.

**_[You sure about that?]_**

Kuroha.

'_N-Not again…'_

**_[Do I need to remind you that I can end your precious friend's life just as easily as I can end yours?] _**Kuroha's voice was eerily innocent as he spoke. There were no trace of malice in his tone, nor was there any sardonic delight that Haruka could visibly hear. It was just completely and utterly innocent. His words did not match the innocuous way he had spoken, and that was what made Haruka worried.

Was Kuroha anticipating something?

**_[Speechless? Ah, I'm just full of surprises, isn't that right, Ha-ru-ka?] _**

Then, Haruka felt a searing pain which sliced its way through his head. A small gasp escaped from Haruka's lips as he forcefully shut his eyes. "Urgk..!"

**_[Opps. Didn't mean to do that. Perhaps I revealed too much?]_**

Burning bile forced itself up Haruka's throat as he tried to restrain himself from throwing up. Was this the reason for Kuroha's fake tone a few moments ago?

**_[Mhm. You're lucky that this pain you feel can't happen every time I want it to happen.]_**

'_What did you do!?'_

**_[Magic.] _**Kuroha snickered, the sadistic tone back in his voice.

Haruka weakly sat on the couch as he waited for the pain to pass. What the hell did Kuroha do? Could he do anymore things like these? Were there still more secrets that Kuroha hid? Furthermore, was Konoha also hiding what he and Kuroha could do? Haruka had so many questions. Though, a question was persistently shoving those other questions away.

Why was Kuroha acting up now?

_[Stop.]_

**_[Oh, so you're finally speaking now? Pathetic.]_**

[_…Just stop.]_

Kuroha didn't answer. The pain immediately subsidized.

_[I'm sorry, Haruka..]_

Haruka didn't reply.

"Haruka?" A voice rang out. Haruka looked up. "I'm here, Takane." She took a seat next to Haruka, not noticing his weak state. "What a weird twist of events, huh? Now I'm living with you.. It's like this whole thing was planned out or something. What's next, does a villain appear or something?" She dryly commented, her tone turning sarcastic near the end.

Haruka couldn't help but smile a little at her words. He felt better already. "Maybe.. Then, we could be superheroes!" He jokingly replied, his eyes once again shining with childish delight. Surprisingly, Takane smiled back. "Yeah.. I guess." She murmured, before looking away.

'_A villain..'_

**_[Yes?]_**

Kuroha's taunting voice came back.

"Imagine, if the villain was you. That would be kinda weird, wouldn't it?" Takane continued, still looking away from Haruka.

"Eh? I don't think I would make a good villain…"

**_[If only the girl knew…]_**

"I agree. You're way too cute to be on-" Takane covered her mouth.

"Hehe, t-thank you, Takane.." Haruka perked up, his smile growing bigger.

"I-I didn'- No. I d-did- Haruk- Ah, look at t-the time, i-its going to be s-seven soon! Haruka, do you cook?"

* * *

Takane had ignored what happened. How could she have slipped up that easily? _'Haruka is cute' _was only a thought. Nothing more. Still, the words just tumbled out of her mouth. She had no idea that her next sentence was about 'cute haruka'.

_Damnit, Haruka.. _She sighed, leaning into the couch. Haruka was too cute for his own good. It was making Takane go crazy! Every thing that he did, it made her heart beat faster. She knew that she was infatuated with him, and that she should just confess to him, but really, there was no way Takane would ever do that. She snorted mentally at the thought of her acting all cliché and admitting her feelings to the male. As if she would ever do that. Nope. No way. Besides, it wasn't like she expected Haruka to return her feelings. That boy was too busy with his own matters.

"I've finished cooking, Takane!" Haruka shouted from the kitchen. Takane stood up, and casually walked. Takane could see plates of food on the table, along with two bowls of rice placed neatly on the opposite ends. "A-Ah, isn't this a little too much?"

_If all these food is inedible… "_Not really," Haruka replied, taking a seat. "Come on, Takane! Let's dig in!" He said in a sing-song voice. Takane sat down, and started to pick up her chopsticks. Haruka smiled at her as he dug in, munching on food. Takane gulped. She wasn't sure if Haruka could _really_ cook. The boy had always happily ate anything, after all. Picking up a piece of meat, she ate it. _…Decent. _Haruka's cooking wasn't really what one would call gourmet, but it wasn't that terrible, either.

* * *

"It's already so late… The day goes by so fast.." Takane mumbled, looking out of the window. The stars shone brightly, and it reminded Takane of Christmas lights – just without the different colours. Haruka nodded, not really knowing what to say. "I'm sorry if today was boring… I-I'm going to make sure that tomorrow will be a better day." Haruka said, sounding worried. "What are you talking about, idiot? Today wasn't boring at all. I.. I have to admit.." She reluctantly said, feeling another blush slowly starting to form on her cheeks. It had only been a day with him, and she's already starting to blush like a maniac. At this rate, she might as well call herself a tomato.

"Today was kinda fun with you around…"

"I feel the same too, Takane.." Haruka quietly murmured. Takane's face was beet red as she heard Haruka's soft whisper. "I-I'm just going to prepare and go to sleep now…" She quietly replied. "Good night, Takane!"

"Good night, Haruka." She said, and walked to her room, leaving Haruka alone. '_Guess I should also sleep.' _He stood up, and walked.

* * *

As he lied in bed, he stared up at the ceiling. A small, growing feeling of uneasiness clawed at his heart as thoughts raced through his mind.

The black-outs didn't happen today. Happiness. Relief.

Kuroha suddenly acted up. Afraid. Worry**. ****_Anger_**_._

He spent time with Takane. Happiness. Gratefulness. _Love?_

Kuroha caused him to recoil in pain. Anxious. Frightened. _Scared._

Rolling to the side, Haruka snuggled into his pillow. He wanted nothing more but to sleep. Why was he so uneasy? There was something that bugged him.

…Oh.

As if on cue, Konoha spoke, his gentle and soothing voice calming Haruka down; the feeling of uneasiness dying down as Konoha's words echoed in his mind.

_[Good night, Haruka…]_

…

'_Good night to you too, Kono.'_


	3. calculate

_** :D**_

_**Just a friendly update.**_

_**Psst, I've been crammin' knowledge into my head. And sleeping quite late, too. But that's my fault.**_

_**...**_

_**Eh.**_

_**Good news (?) - I've decided that this story will have a total of six chapters. It might change, seeing as I can't seem to stick with a decision for long, but for now, six chapters it is.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

_calculate_

**_It hurt._**

_He saw nothing but the thick blanket of darkness that endlessly filled his vision, but oh god, it hurt._

_Where was he?_

_Light. Bright light shone at the other end of the darkness, drawing his attention to it. _

_He ran, despite the aching and sharp throbs of pain that viciously attacked him. He panted for breath as he dragged his fragile body towards the small shimmer of light (escape?). Instinctively throwing out his hand, the light enveloped him and the pain immediately subsidized. _

_When the flash of light soon disappeared from his vision, he surveyed his surroundings. It appeared that he was in a grey room. Taking a few steps forward, he was puzzled. Where was this place? Searching his mind for answers, he could only remember the burning sensation from before. _

_"Run." _

_The sudden cold voice startled him, making him flinch. Turning around, he was met with the sight of a familiar friend. _

_"Shintaro..?" _

_"Run." The NEET repeated, his eyes staring soullessly at the confused male. _

_"Why?" _

_"Ah, sorry. I-I have no time to explain! P-Please just do what Shintaro says…" He turned around again. He faced the red-scarfed girl who had suddenly appeared._

_ "What's going on?"_

_ "…Sorry." That voice. It.. It was... He spun his body around again. (he was starting to feel dizzy) "Konoha?" The white-haired male nodded, before pointing to a door. "I'm.. Sorry…" Konoha mumbled once again, his voice softer. _

_Shintaro and Ayano were quiet. _

_Guessing that he had to go through the door, he glanced at his friends, before gulping audibly and stepping through the door. Maybe his curiosity would be piqued. (he was scared, but what more could one do when they found themselves in situation like this? There was no escape, and he didn't know how to 'run away' from this place at all)_

_ A overwhelming feeling of dread coursed through his body as he tensed up. His mind was unnaturally foggy and his found himself unable to think. The more time he spent in this place, he guessed, the more perplexed and baffled he got. The room the door led to was merely a narrow hallway. Shapes painted the walls, moving in seemingly random directions. He walked at a steady place, a little anxious. _

_His eyes stared at the various passing shapes, hoping to maybe find something that would tell him where he was. Though by the time he reached the other room at the end of the hall, his efforts were fruitless; there was no hidden information to be found._

_Opening the wooden door that waited for him on the far end of the walkway, a gasp escaped from his throat. The room was painted with red and he could very visibly see both Shintaro and Ayano lying on the floor in the middle of the room, unmoving. A malicious figure stood next to them. "Oh. You're already here. Well then, I might as well greet you, right?" The figure spoke. _

_The now terrified male's eyes looked away from the two bodies. He could only catch a small glimpse of the smirk resting on the figure's non-existent (it might as well not exist if he couldn't see it) face as darkness immediately coloured his vision, the other's (was it…?) taunting words echoing in his ears. _

_(oh god it must be-)_

"_Nice to meet you, Haruka."_

* * *

Haruka's eyes were glazed over.

Humming a soft tune as he lied on his bed, his finger absentmindedly tapped (or poked) the soft fabric of his bed. He honestly felt like lying in bed all day, despite the eager part of him which was more than ready to spend more time with Takane. He glanced over to the slim figure of the phone which was cautiously placed on the small table beside his bed. Tapping a button, the phone's screen illuminated. Four faces - the _Yuukei Quartet _their classmates had called them– appeared behind the screen. A small smile crept up on Haruka's face.

Oh right, the time. _8:14_

It was still pretty early. Sitting up on his bed, he lightly stretched, stifling a yawn. Was Takane up yet? Deciding to go see her, Haruka got to his feet and walked nimbly out of his room, stopping before a wooden door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Muffled noises came from the other side of the door. Haruka could hear heavy footsteps, and… was that a bang? More strange sounds erupted from the room, but nonetheless Haruka waited patiently, his lips still curled up in a smile. The door opened, and Takane, in all her irritated bed-head glory, stood there, her eyes narrowed. "What?" She simply questioned Haruka, her voice starkly hostile. "Good morning!" He chirped back in response, his smile growing wider. Behind Takane, he could see items strewn all over the place. Hm, perhaps that was the reason for the sudden and seemingly random noises a few moments ago?

"…It's only eight something and you're already waking me up. Do you see the problem here?" Takane proceeded to say, unamused.

Haruka tilted his head. "Aaahh, so you're not a morning-type of person, are you?"

In response to Haruka's question, Takane's eye twitched. "…Just leave me alone. I'll come out when I've finished sleeping." With that, she shut the door loudly, leaving Haruka standing awkwardly in the hallway. His smile became smaller as he silently laughed to himself. This was _indeed_ the Takane who he loved spending time with.

_[Good morning, Haruka..]_

The familiar voice of Konoha rang in his head gently. Haruka's mood immediately brightened.

_'Morning!'_

After getting himself all cleaned up and ready for the day, he walked into the kitchen, deciding to cook breakfast for both him and Takane. '_Hey, what do you think Takane would like to eat?' _

_[Negima..?]_

'_Any other suggestions?'_

_[…Pancakes?]_

* * *

Despite the large amount of pancakes that Haruka had cooked, he ended up leaving only three for Takane.

_[I wish I could eat…]_

Haruka had no idea how to respond to Konoha. What could he say? '_Oh, it's okay, you can just take over my body like the countless previous times and eat these delicious pancakes!' _was definitely not an option. In fact, he wasn't _sure_ if it would even be Konoha who got the chance to 'take over'.

After eating, he settled down in the living room, holding his sketchbook. He subconsciously tapped the pencil to his chin for a bit as he sat there, spacing out to think about what to draw.

**_[..What about Takane?]_**

The voice startled Haruka. He instinctively glanced up, expecting to see a dark figure looming over him, but he was only met with the sight of the ceiling.

'_Takane..?'_

**_[Yes. The girl.]_**

Oh, so this was one of _those times._ Like yesterday. Kuroha was acting innocent- No, Haruka couldn't tell what Kuroha was feeling at all. His tone was.. Covered? It seemed so.

…If 'covered' made any sense.

It was more of a 'nothing' tone. Haruka couldn't quite place his finger on it.

'_I-I guess I could draw her…'_

Haruka expectantly waited for Kuroha to sardonically remark about the stutter in his voice (thought?), but it never came. A small feeling of uneasiness slowly bubbled in his stomach.

As a result of that small discomfort, he once again waited for Kuroha to comment about it – after all, he had always seemed to know when Haruka felt uncomfortable, but the only thing he could hear in his mind, other than his own thoughts, was silence. Dead, unbearable (for some reason), silence.

He shook his head, taking a deep breath as he picked up his pencil and opened his sketchbook. He placed the tip of the pencil to the paper as he began to draw. The negative feeling hindered his drawing process at first, but after a few more strokes (and some erasing), he was completely immersed.

He started with Takane's hair. To him, her hair was something that was memorable, after all. It was special. _Unique._

Next were her sharp eyes. Haruka had glanced into those eyes of hers far more times than he should have, but really, he just couldn't help himself. Those eyes were.. Well, to put it in a simple term, amazing. There was just something about them that fascinated Haruka.

His thoughts rambled on and on in his head with positive comments about each specific part of Takane he was drawing. Those thoughts certainly would make any girl blush at the seemingly endless waves compliments that he strung elegantly together.

…

Ever since he could pencil in different pictures on a piece of paper, Haruka was grateful that Konoha and Kuroha always left him alone when he did so.

And now, with him drawing away, he was very appreciative that neither of the two made any remarks about his thoughts.

* * *

Suddenly waking up didn't seem like a good idea at all.

She remembered clearly what she had said to Haruka when she was forcefully awakened. She remembered slamming the door and saying something about how she would come up when she woke up, but to be honest, the moment she closed the door was the moment when she (mentally) woke up and realized just what she had just done.

_Oh shiit. _

Takane flopped down onto the bed, face-first. Shutting her eyes tight, she lay there until she was out of breath. Roughly turning around so that she could get the precious gas that was oxygen into her lungs, a sigh escaped her lips.

Takane sat up on the bed, her shoulders slumped. She stood up, planning to go out and apologize to the poor black-haired male she had yelled at, but her hand froze just as she was about to turn the doorknob.

_On second thought, perhaps I should just stay in here for a little while. _

When Takane turned around, she finally noticed the dozens of items cluttering the room's floor. How she didn't trip on the mess was a mystery. She bent down, picking up a pencil. Where did that even come from in the first place? A displeased frown made its way onto her face as she shoved the thoughts of Haruka (along with _the _incident) to her mind's mental corner.

This room needed lots of tidying.

* * *

When she was finally done, Takane was more than ready to strangle her past self. "Finally!" She proclaimed, turning the doorknob, her stomach growling the moment she did so. When she walked out and took her first step into the living room, the mouth-watering faint smell of pancakes drifting in the air hit her as hard as a brick (except that the aroma was much softer.)

The second thing that Takane noticed was Haruka quietly sitting down, doing.. whatever he was doing. She walked towards him, and as the distance between her and Haruka decreased, she could see that he was drawing. Inching forwards, her hands holding the back of the couch for support, she peeked at the sketch.

"Is.. Is thaa…." Her mouth suddenly seemed to be dry, her throat hoarse as she tried to speak. Takane's mouth hung open as Haruka turned his head around, almost hitting Takane's fingertips. "A-Ah! You're up! Good morning, Takane!" He quickly uttered in response, a faint red tinting his pale cheeks.

"Haruka, were you d-drawing me just now?"

"Yes…" He replied, sheepishly rubbing the back of his head. "Could I maybe see the drawing?" She asked, hesitation clear in her voice. "No, not yet… I'll tell you when I've finished the drawing, though!" Another one of Haruka's signature bright smiles appeared on his face. "R-Right. …I-I'm sorry." Takane blurted out. She raised her hand slightly, intending to cover her mouth, but she only managed to awkwardly freeze in that position, her body tense and stiff.

"What're you sorry for, Takane?" The male tilted his head to the side uncounciously.

"Uh- you know, the incident this morning."

"Oh! You don't have to apologize! It's alright!"

Haruka's response was something that she predicted, but just like the previous countless times, it still surprised her. Sometimes she just felt that she didn't really deserve to know such a cheerful male like Haruka. The way she treated Haruka sometimes, to her, was absolutely unacceptable compared to the way he treated her. (Albeit her attitude didn't even come close to Shintaro's when he was younger, but still—)

"You must be hungry. Takane, I've cooked breakfast - it's in the kitchen! Though I'm not sure if you like to eat pancakes..?"

Haruka's voice derailed her train of thought as it crashed abruptly to a stop.

"By the looks of it, you've probably eaten most of what you cooked." Takane said, releasing her grip on the sofa, (since when had she gripped it that hard?) walking to the kitchen.

"But t-thank you anyway."

**_ [Perfect.] _**_..._

Before Haruka even got the chance to comprehend Kuroha's (and Takane's) words, a sharp pain that only lasted for a split second shot through his body as he struggled to keep his eyelids open, darkness rapidly engulfing his vision. He slumped down quietly onto the couch, his sketchbook lying crookedly on his lap as it barely wobbled over the edge of the furniture.

_**[Sweet dreams, dear Haruka.] **no_**  
**

…

And his consciousness reluctantly faded away.

_no-_

_...haruka?_

_...haruka..?_

* * *

The living room was silent when Takane had finished her breakfast and made her way to said room, save for the ticking of the round clock that was hung on the wall. She stopped for a moment, noticing Haruka standing up. (_is that his sketchbook on the floor..?) _He turned around, his voice strangely quiet.

"…Takane."


	4. attraction

**_Ahahahahahahahaha. Hi~_**

* * *

_attraction_

It never really bothered her.

She had her own personal matters to attend to, however minor they were. Occasionally reminiscing about _his_ smile, it never really affected her.

Then again, she was the type to play it off, refusing to acknowledge things that affect her. Even she herself was unsure if her thoughts were biased, swinging towards the object of her own affections. With her sharp gaze that made others back down, she was able to easily continue to keep up the 'stereotype' – easily feigning her behavior whenever he was around. However, she could only hide behind her façade for as long as her ever growing feelings would let her.

Maybe it happened to snap today? It would explain a lot of things, after all.

A mess, was what this situation was. Didn't understand, _couldn't understand_ or was it really just a simple case of '_Don't wanna understand'?_ Impossible to decide. Her feelings were like little threads that occasionally fell out, but for every small string to fall out, there must have been something that had weakened her outer defenses and crushed them to pieces. The top threat, she concluded, was easily Haruka's cute little smiles.

If she could come to that conclusion, why couldn't she understand, then?

Understand what? Understand why the hell she easily backed down when it came to Haruka, of course. Surely, this couldn't mean that she was in- Ah, no.

Stupid idea.

But the evidence was there, however messily scattered they were. It was up to her to make a hypothesis, _then _solve the case, but apparently she was still stuck at the 'hypothesis' part, and who said that she was _willing_ to move on to the next stage?

The utter bullshit that was feelings was now hounding her, threatening to make her spill. How wonderful. This feeling was-

Ridiculous-

Hopeless-

Idiotic-

Yet she couldn't-

No, it didn't mean-

Frustrating..!

Still, was it something that she could cling onto? For that little chance of maybe having a-

Ah, there it was again. Cheesy thoughts. Delightful.

She was thinking too much about this, wasn't she?

Oh well.

…It never bothered her anyway.

* * *

Her body froze upon hearing _his _voice. It seemed so different, so dark, so… unlike Haruka.

"Takane?" There it was again. She turned to face the male. Admittedly, her heart was pounding away, with fear or _that emotion_ she didn't know.

Haruka blinked, before speaking again.

"…Takane?"

Now, Takane knew that she was a sane person. She wasn't mentally challenged, nor was she psychopathic. But for that moment, she _swore_ that her classmate's voice had changed once again, for the better, of course. That small tinge of darkness that had seemingly swirled around vigorously in the other's tone disappeared, instead replaced by the male's normal tone. As normal as it could get, really.

"…Are you okay?" His soft and gentle voice flowed melodiously into her ears, and it seemed that she was just imagining the so-called 'dark' tone Haruka's voice had held a few moments ago. Again, Takane was sane, so it was hard for her to believe that she was _indeed_ imagining things.

Then again, maybe she was just stressed out from the sudden move?

"Y- Yeah, I'm fine, Haruka."

The boy slowly nodded. Did Haruka wake up properly? She wondered for a moment before shaking her head, but a little doubt remained in the corner of her mind. Something was.. off with the male. Her eyes focused on him for a moment, trying to find out if he was sick. (If he indeed is sick… God help me.)

He looked the same, however. His pale skin didn't seem to grow any paler – if that was even possible. He picked up the sketchbook that lied on the floor, carefully placing the book onto the sofa, treating the object as if it were a bomb of some sort that needed to be carefully handed. Takane sighed, before walking off back into her temporary room.

She could figure things out later.

Her alone time came to a stop as her phone rang. Picking up her smartphone, she glanced at the caller ID.

'Mummy'

Her hand jerked upwards as she hurriedly answered the call, taking off her headphones. Her heart beat in her chest as she heard the familiar voice of her mother.

"Takane, sweetie?"

"Mom! Eh, good morning!"

"Good morning to you too, dear. Haruka's mom was worried that something was going on, seeing as he didn't answer his phone. Is he fine?"

Haruka didn't answer his phone?

Takane scrambled up to her feet as she walked out into the living room, the sounds of the television replacing what would have been silence. Haruka was there, sitting quietly, watching the show.

"Hey, Haruka..?"

"Yes?"

"Your phone rang." ("Oh? Hey, Emily, you're son's fine! Takane's talking to him right now.")

"…Phone.." He trailed off at the end, his statement sounding more like a question instead. Quickly getting up, he rushed to his room, and soon walked out. "..It did rang." He murmured, stating the obvious to Takane.

She was more than amused at this point. Haruka's strange behavior wasn't driving her nuts, oddly. She adjusted the headphones on her neck as she listened to her mother talk.

"Haruka's mother wants to talk to Haruka. Would you kindly pass him the phone, sweetie?"

…Holy shit. How the hell did it come to this?!

Kuroha realized his very mistake once he was (very) forcefully repelled back from taking control. Haruka's body was just within his fingertips, but now he was stuck at the corner of this mind once more. He looked through the eyes of Haruka, but it wasn't him controlling him. Oh noo, it was the air head. Did he make a miscalculation somewhere?

If there was a God out there, then he must be laughing hysterically at this twist of fate. Because Kuroha was currently trying to hold in his laughter as Konoha tried to _act_ normal in front of the pig-tailed girl.

Oh, and did he mention that he was failing miserably at it?

Every pause, Kuroha knew, made the girl suspicious. Konoha tried to imitate Haruka, but of course, when that failed, tried to call Haruka, but that little human was snoring away in the confines of his own mind, too deep in sleep (unconsciousness) to give a single damn about what was currently happening right now in the outside world.

Kuroha was utterly reluctant to help Konoha when he turned to him for help. (…You're the one who forced me out of control. You **_take_** responsibility.)

However, after a few moments, a horrifying thought shot through Kuroha's mind. If the girl found out that Haruka had _voices_ in his head, he would certainly be classified as crazy, wouldn't he? And if he was deemed mad, he would be sent to a hospital of sorts, and then Kuroha would be stuck there for the rest of Haruka's mind's life, not being able to do a single damn thing 'cause he's stuck in that white room.

Kuroha shivered at the thought of having Konoha ask questions repeatedly over and over with no end.

Oh hell no, he wasn't about to let the idiot ruin his plans.

**_[..Fine, I'll help you.]_**

_[T-Thank you..]_

**_[Raise the phone to your ear first. Then we'll listen to what the human's mom has to say.]_** Konoha did exactly just that.

"_Haruka, are you okay? Why didn't you answer your phone?"_

…Ah, the age old question – and Kuroha already had an answer to that.

**_[Say '_**_I fell asleep on the sofa, haha, sorry!' __**Make sure to laugh nervously. I'm sure you know how to do that, yes?]**_

_[I.. I think so..]_

**_[Great.]_**

"I fell asleep on the sofa, hehe, sorry!" Perfect. Wonderful, subarashii. Whatever. As long as this fool didn't spoil their cover, Kuroha was okay with letting him reign control – albeit it'd be best if Haruka woke up. The best imitation of a personality one could do was someone who had that exact same personality, after all.

Although, if things were.. different, so to speak, if Kuroha was the one who had taken control, no doubt would he have just purposefully slipped up. He doubted that the girl could put up much of a fight with her scrawny little figure.

"_Oh, you better get more sleep tonight then! I'll be informing Takane about this, too. Anyways, how's your stay with her?"_

It was painfully obvious that the boy's mind wanted her son to just hook up with the girl. He couldn't attest to that, however. She was much too.. ah, hot headed for his tastes. Then again, it wasn't him that Haruka's mom had in mind, so his own tastes didn't matter.

A shame, really.

Maybe if he found the right _human_ girl, he wouldn't need to kill the hypothetical girlfriends Haruka would have – seeing as practically all of those **_hypothetical_** girlfriends just didn't suit his dream girl he had in mind. A simple mistake.

Right, back to the situation at hand.

Haruka, or Konoha, stared blankly at Takane. She watched him with curious eyes, wondering what his mom was asking. After all, if it made the normally expressive Haruka look _this_ blank, it must've been a really weird question, right?

_[What do I say..?]_

Ah, what was that human word again?

Shit.

How was his stay with her? How was Haruka's stay with her?  
Looking at it from his mom's standpoint, she probably wanted Haruka to say something along the lines of 'Perfect! I love staying with Takane', so that's what Kuroha told the airhead to say.

**_[Say: Really good! I love staying with Takane!] _**

Bleh, even the mock happiness in his voice was making him sick.

"Really good! I love staying with Takane." The way Konoha said that sentence made it sound a little lifeless and his tone made it seem like he was reciting from a script, and even Kuroha was a little flabbergasted at how he simply said it _like that_. Didn't he know what 'acting' was?

However, Kuroha's attention was diverted from the call when he noticed the pigtailed girl tense a little, her cheeks starting to glow a crimson red. Oh, _that._ How could he ever forget? He swore again to whatever God above, (not like he believed in any, really.) that if that idiotic girl decided to confess on the day he _finally_ took control, he would be killing that girl off in a very, very, cliché way.

And that included breaking her mentally and physically.

Kuroha scoffed at that ridiculous statement he had thought of, realizing that he was lowering himself to a mere 'evil human'. Eh, it had been a long time since he stretched his fingers around a delicate neck, so he supposed that the statement was a definite testament to his love for killing?

If voices could blink, then Kuroha did just that.

He shook his non-existent head, deciding to concentrate on the more important problem that had already arisen.

"_That's good, honey!" _

…Was this what 'conversation' was?

_[I.. I think we should say something..?]_

**_[What do you mean 'we'? You're the one talking.] _**Kuroha snapped, feeling his temper slowly flaring. Konoha was just too ignorant, hell, even that Haruka boy was better than him.

**_[…Ask the boy's mom this: What have you been doing, mom?]_**

"..What have you been doing, mom?"

Again, Konoha got the words perfectly down, it was just that slight pause in the beginning. If the girl was already slightly suspicious, that would certainly arouse and encourage that feeling – which was what Kuroha wanted to avoid. If he wanted her to be suspicious, he could do it using his own methods, but right now, was neither the time nor place for her to start having that little seed of doubt sown in her mind.

"_I've been having fun! Ahaha, actually, I've been locked up in this hotel, not really locked up though, so don't worry, with Takane's mom. We're having a blast here, there's free food and drinks – shoutout to Mr. Tateyama for supplying the money! That's about it for these two days, though. I won't be able to call once tomorrow arrives, that's when the real work starts. I hope you continue to enjoy your lovely stay, dear! Oh, Takane's mom wants to talk to her daughter now. Goodbye sweetie, and make sure to __**behave**_ _yourself~!" _

…That major emphasis on the word 'behave' certainly made Kuroha's imagination _almost_ run wild.

Without his instructions, Konoha passed the phone to Takane, and simply turned around, facing the television screen once more.

[_...Kuro, why did Haruka's mother said the word 'behave' like that?]_

Kuroha could barely hold back the snicker as he replied, trying to sound calm.

**_[Why don't you ask Haruka later, hmm? I'm sure that he knows.]_**

Ah yes. He was sure that Haruka knew what his mom meant, if he even remembered this conversation, of course.

Takane's voice rang in the air as she energetically talked, eyes occasionally darting to Konoha as she rambled on and on. Kuroha could care less about that, however. Once the girl was finally done talking, she placed her phone on the glass table that was positioned next to the couch, gesturing to the sketchbook that now lied on the floor.

"Uhh… Are you going to pick that up?"

Konoha automatically reached down and grasped the book, bringing it up. He placed the object next to the phone, eyes soon looking at Takane. Silence hung in the air, and obviously, Takane wasn't really happy about this. (Haruka would bring up a random subject by now…)

She stood up, awkwardly muttering that she would be in her allocated room for a bit, before walking off. Today's silence seemed to be even thicker than yesterdays, and coupled with Haruka's strange and unusual behavior, it really bugged her. But she was much too.. ah, shy to do anything, so she simply left it at that, hoping that the male would return to his normal conduct soon enough.

**_[Oh hey, you chased her away.]_**

_[…I did..?]_

**_[No, you didn't.]_**

_[..Okay.]_

It was taking a long time for Haruka to wake up. The male would have woken up by now and regained his pale body back. Did he perhaps inflict too much pain on the boy? It wasn't even _that_ much, really. Just a small, sharp, burning and stinging pain that made him almost throw up. ..Was that the reason why? Kuroha knew that he shouldn't overestimate the human body, but at that moment, he just wanted to take over – which resulted in this huge mess.

Oh well, he learnt from his mistakes, so the next time he tried again, he would have to lower the amount of pain he caused.

Or maybe he should increase the dosage instead.

…This little pain factor was a double-edged sword, wasn't it?

"Haruka? Are you hungry?" Her voice came ringing in the air once more. Konoha turned around, head tilted to side as he mumbled out a reply. "..Yes." Takane nodded, headphones still dangling around her neck as she took light, quick and short steps towards the kitchen, perhaps glad that at least this 'new' Haruka still retained his appetite.

To be honest, she wasn't even feeling that hungry, but since it was Haruka she was staying with, he would perhaps appreciate the early lunch. (Early for _her,_ anyway)

_[..What do you think Takane will cook, Kuro?]_

**_[Mhhhm, I don't care.]_**

**_…_**

Funny how his demeanor always seemed to lighten up whenever it was just him and the airhead. Say, like how his words would be less aggressive than usual, and how he spoke _more,_ the basics.

He didn't want to do _that_, but those words always escape his (once again) non-existent mouth, and he soon found himself conversing with the white-haired male.

Was it because of the fact that he had spent more time confined to this mind with the other, and also added with the fact that Haruka had tried to ignore him when he first decided to try and talk to him?

Perhaps so.

He was sounding – and thinking more and more in a rather odd way today. Did the sudden repulsion do something to him? He hoped not, he loved his (unique) personality too much to let it go.

* * *

She expertly minced the carrots that she had found, slicing each part of the ingredient into equal parts. It was a skill that she perhaps had long mastered. Haha, very funny. A few ingredients, ranging from meat to vegetables lied neatly in a row on the counter as she prepared them. It wasn't going to be a feast like yesterday night, (good God, how did Haruka even cook that fast?) more of a little restaurant-quantity meal. Sprinkling the carrots into the boiling pot, she moved on to the meat next, now done with the vegetables.

Mind you, unlike a certain soda-loving boy, Takane could _actually _cook. Ayano always had created the most delicious of recipes, (and for every perfect recipe she made, there were _tons_ of failed, burnt and simply inedible food thrown in the trash, but let's not talk about that) and Takane had made it known to her scarfed friend that she, too, wanted to learn how to cook.

Which resulted in a few weeks of major training.

But hey, it was all worth it. At least she could cook something nice! Finally done with roasting the meat, she set aside the cooked food, getting ready the soup and vegetables. She hadn't even finished adorning the dish yet! Quickly throwing in some spices to both the soup and meat, she set those on the table, while her other hand held the vegetables.

A few more minutes passed, and in that span of time, Takane had finished putting her final touches (and spices, again) on the dishes.

"Haruka! You can eat now."

Takane sat down, wondering to herself why didn't she taste test her cooked food first, trying to hide the look of nervousness that was threatening to show.

Using her chopsticks to pick up a piece of chicken, she carefully placed it into her mouth after making sure that it wasn't hot enough to burn her tongue. As she chewed, the flavor burst in her mouth, and she left out a satisfied sigh of relief as she swallowed.

Whew!

At that very moment, Haruka came walking in, taking a seat as he smiled at her.

Of course, that was when she knew that her cooking was a success as Haruka started to hungrily eat, chomping up the food like they were simple nothing but mere rolls of rice that could easily be eaten in just a bite.

Was it just her, or did he had a bigger appetite (more than usual, even, and that idea was a little bit terrifying to her) today?

* * *

The fact that the human wasn't up yet should've made Kuroha happy. He was getting a little tired of his naïve words and attitude, after all. But the duration in which Haruka was unconscious for was getting entirely ridiculous. How many hours had passed, anyway? After that generous lunch that Konoha had, the girl had gone back to her room whilst Konoha continued to sit on the couch.

Now, wasn't that just boring?

**_[..What're you going to do now?]_**

_[I don't know, Kuro.. I'm bored..]_

**_[Talk to the girl, maybe?]_**

_[..Takane? …But I don't have anything I want to say..]_

**_[I was merely suggesting an idea.]_**

Talking to Konoha was pointless, too. Bored, he poked the imaginary snakes in his head, watching them hiss in a fictional way as his face remained calm and composed. He returned his focus onto Konoha, a little disgust bubbling in him as he continued to observe the other naively think and ask questions, looking up at the world outside in a childish light. Sure, even to him, Konoha _was_ cute and all, but he was.. Well, undeniably...

Useless.

Shaking that thought away, (it would be no good if he hated the other voice – he was going to be stuck with Konoha until Haruka died, after all) he glanced tiredly at the living room. He wanted to laugh at the irony of the situation, after all, it was _he_ who craved the boy's silence, it was _he_ who wanted the boy to just shut the hell up and lose control, but who knew that without Haruka, it would be _this_ boring?

It wasn't like the last few knockout times were this long, so he supposed that it was natural for him to not be used to this.

Still, the little revolting feeling in him came back once more as he felt absolutely delighted – for some reason – once he felt Konoha lose control, feeling Haruka taking control, taking back what was originally his.

A sigh escaping his lips, he listened to Haruka drone on and on about how it was utterly wrong for him to inflict that disastrous pain on him, knocking him out.

But when the male had paused, came to a realization _and _asked what had happened when he had blacked out, a small laugh of amusement only escaped past Kuroha's (_still_ non-existent) lips, deciding to let Konoha explain everything.

…What a pitiful human.


	5. disassociate

**_going to edit the previous chapters._**

**_so._**

**_also, this is the second last chapter._**

_**thank you for your interest in this story!**_

* * *

**_disassociate_**

_"Merry Christmas, Takane!"_

_Haruka liked Christmas. That was quite obvious, frankly, with the way he acted during this time of the year. His smiles would seem even sweeter, bright white teeth showing. (It was comparable to the CGI-made teeth in those dental hygiene advertisements, too.) _

_"M—Merry Christmas to you..?"_

_Her words came out befuddled, eyebrows raised and posture slightly tense. _

_(She had known the male for twelve years, yet every time he wished her the standard seasonal greeting, surprise still overtook her features.)_

_ Takane shivered at the cold, taking a small step back – the warmth that radiated from the house beckoned her to abandon the male. The wind that blew past her really didn't make things any better or warmer, either._

_Tried to, anyway. Even with the thick amount of winter wear wrapped around her, she could still feel the tendrils of ice slithering on her skin. _

_She watched silently as Haruka pranced (there was no other word for what the male was doing) around in the snow with childish delight, brown-hues glittering with a cliché curiosity. A ghost of a smile lay upon her own lips at the sight of the snow-entranced male, a part of her wishing that she, too, could experience the joy that Haruka felt. _

_But she couldn't._

_Between the four of them, the Yuukei Quartet, Haruka was perhaps the most innocent of them all. The red jersey-wearing **NEET could** not be any more perverted than he already was, and even Takane had to admit that she herself was quite dirty-minded at times. Maybe Ayano could have taken Haruka's place – if she didn't hang around Shintaro that much. _

_At times, Takane found herself wondering if Haruka himself had any secrets. The thought came to her suddenly one day, as she stood on the grassy hill that overlooked her home town. (She had not gone there of her own accord; Ayano had dragged her there.) The girl quickly dismissed that thought – so what if Haruka indeed had a deep dark secret? It wasn't any of her business and if she really wanted to find out, she would also have to reveal her own – which was unfavorable. _

_Even if the person who she told it to was Haruka. _

_However, that didn't mean that suddenly popping the question up in a conversation with Haruka wasn't tempting. They were the closest of friends after all, having being childhood friends since small. Casually changing the topic of the conversation to whatever she wanted, Haruka was naïve enough for that to work. _

_But she wouldn't do that. _

_There was no way she was going to 'manipulate' him. If he wanted to tell her anything, great! But seeing as the male had kept quiet about his own secrets, she wasn't going to try and pry into them._

_She just wasn't that kind of person. _

_Neither did she want to ruin the trust that Haruka had in her._

_"It's really cold here, Takane."_

_Honestly, she doubted that anyone would even try to break their trust with the male. There was just something about Haruka that made those around him watch out for him._

_"It's really cold."_

_Maybe that's why she loved him._

_"…I don't want this."_

_Maybe._

_"…I'm scared."_

* * *

She woke up with a start, hands gripping her bedsheets tightly. Low groans escaped her as she rubbed her head. Taking in deep, steady breaths, Takane gradually calmed down – the dream had startled her a bit more than she'd liked. Her hair rested on her shoulders, fluttering with every small movement that she made.

'_What the hell was that?'_

The girl had no trouble swearing, but she preferred to keep such use of words at a minimum. Whenever she was out with friends, with her parents or alone, she didn't fail at preventing these phrases from joining her speech or thoughts. She didn't want to 'contaminate' Haruka in any way or form – his innocence was far too precious.

(However, with a dream like that, even she could not stop herself from that _light_ swearing.)

Takane glanced to the side, her hoarse throat finally making itself known as she felt the discomfort. Shakily standing up, the raven quickly made her awakened presence known to the other inhabitant of the house with her footsteps, only noticing just how heavy they were when she was out of the room's door.

Cursing herself for being inconsiderate, she continued her short trip to the kitchen, a glass of water being her only goal in mind.

* * *

The kitchen light was a tad bit _too_ blinding when she flicked the light switch on. Blinking rapidly from the sudden transition, the girl continued to groggily make her way towards the sink, a hand swiftly reaching up for a cup.

Her eyes flickered towards the electric water boiler and the male that stood in-

Wait, _male_?

Takane instinctively focused her attention on the sudden appearance of Haruka, breathing growing erratic as she flinched slightly. It was miracle how she still managed to grip the mug in her hands, with the sudden adrenaline rushing through her body and all.

"Sorry," Haruka said, inching towards her.

"I-It's fine. What are you doing up so early?"

She placed the cup under the nozzle, twisting her neck a little to face the other. Unlike her, Haruka's footsteps seemed to be non-existent, the male somehow managing to avoid making any sounds as he walked. Funny; she remembered something about how Shintaro commenting about Haruka being awfully clumsy – with Ayano coming in first as the clumsiest.

The sounds of water filling the cup became a mere background noise as the male replied - Takane's prior question and his answers eventually turning into a conversation.

Water in the cup slowly decreased, the glass being placed down once she had finished her drink.

The mug was now empty.

"…Hey," Haruka began, his precious enthusiasm fading away noticeably.

"..Do you think.. That I'm normal?"

His gaze faltered, eyes averting Takane's own coloured hues. Body tensing up, he could already hear the mocking coming from her – imaginary insults and taunting questions filling his mind.

"Haaa? You _are_ normal."

Blinking, she walked over to the sink, washing the cup in one (or perhaps two) swift movement. Looking back at Haruka, her voice remained steady and casual.

"Hey, you're perfectly fine to me. There's nothing wrong with you, Haruka." She elaborated upon noticing the male's lack of response.

It would seem that she had picked the right choice of words to say, because after just a few seconds of further silence, the male visibly relaxed. A smile stretched on his face as he looked back up – a small exuberant laugh escaping from his lips.

"R—Right, sorry for asking a question like that," Haruka chirped, eyes looking at the nearby clock. "We should go back to sleep."

The way he said 'we' was strangely… suggestive. She flushed, although it was barely noticeable. A small scowl adorning her features, she scolded herself for thinking in that way.

"Okay then."

* * *

Doubt.

An emotion rooted in everyone, it clawed away, its figurative fingers pulling at your heartstrings, instilling self-hatred and worthlessness.

One could say that it was the root of all evil.

Doubt was like a sickness, a non-fatal disability. Negativity flowed from its body and took hold of its host – humankind. Technically, when put like that, everyone would be sick in one way or another, so it would be perfectly logical for everyone to go to hospitals. But 'doubt' on its own isn't enough to cause that kind of damage – it only acted as a stepping stone for other emotions.

Doubt was what everyone felt at times, yearning for some sort of confirmation that they were fine, that they aren't as pathetic as they thought.

Doubt was something that made everyone _human_, something that separated the true, arrogant and narcissistic monsters from humanity.

Doubt was important.

…Which was why Haruka was trying to assure himself that everything was fine.

Trapped in the confines of your own mind, the word disturbing merely described a tiny fraction of that sensation. It felt overwhelming, thoughts swarming him repeatedly without rest, he could barely think of something else. It wasn't dark, oh no, the explosion of colours – at least, that was what it looked like – practically blinded him. The only thing that he could focus on was the pristine rectangular view of the world in front of him. Loneliness was not applicable to this situation, yet an empty and hollow feeling swelled up in his stomach as he watched with slight disdain and unbelief.

Konoha did nothing to amend that, either.

Movement was sluggish; his body feeling like it was being weighted down with lead. Strangely, his hands weren't restricted, but that did not matter in his case. Freedom to move his hands didn't mean that he could take back control.

Haruka watched through the thin veil of reality, through the 'glass' that separated him from the real world.

He watched as 'he' glanced at his own hand.

He watched as Takane came into view.

He listened as he spoke.

He listened as he laughed.

Listened as the drawer was pulled open.

Shivered as a bloodcurdling scream entered 'his' ears—

Feeling droplets roll down his cheek as he felt the cool air—the real world—rushing past him—

Watched the sharp tip of the knife glint in the bright light.

…

**_(and he felt fear.)_**


End file.
